Rock drill fluid cleansing means



Nov. 6, 1934. M c. HUFFMAN ROCK DRILL FLUID CLEANSING MEANS Filed June 23, 1932 www QQ am .nwllllmrllllflc f Y .QQ

I /z ve; elan: www 0H@ lie Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PA'lsNrV oFFlcs 1,979,551 Roon DRILL FLUID oLEANsING MEANS Mervin Chester Human, Claremont, N. H., as-

signor to Sullivan Machinery Company, a. cor- .poration lol Massachusetts Application .nine 23,1932, serial N0.61s,925

4 claims. y(01251-1415) This invention relates to rock drills, andmore particularly to improvements in uid cleansing means for `such drills. j

An object of this inventionis to provide an improved fluid cleansing means for a rock drill. A further object is to 'provide improved means for controlling the supply of cleansing fluid to the drill bit of a rock drill to clean the cuttings from the bottom of the drill hole. Yet another v 1o object is to provide `an improved control valve mechanism for the cleansing fluid. A still further object is to provide an improved cleansing fluid control valve associated kwith and operated by the throttle Valve of the rock drill, whereby the flow of cleansing fluid to the drill bit may be controlled in an improved manner. Another object is to provide an improved water control valve for a rock drill cleansing means. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing,-

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of a rock drill einbodying the illustrative formot the improved hole cleansing means.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section' taken substane tially on line 2`2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on line 4.-4 of Fig. l.

In this illustrative embodiment of the invention, the improved hole cleansing means is shown associated with a rock drill of standard construction, herein of the stope'r type, comprising a drill motor 1 and `pressure iiuid actuatedfeeding mechanism 2. The drill motor comprises a cylinder 3 containing a reciprocable hammer piston 4 having a hammer bar 5 for transmitting impact blows through a tappet 6 to the shank of a drill steel 7. Thedrill steel 7 is carried within a chuck 8 rotatably7 mounted within a chuck housing 9. For effecting rotation of the drill steel during the hammering action thereon by the hammer piston, there is provided a usual ratchet and pawl mechanism 10 having a spirally grooved rie bar 1l connected to a rifle nut 12 secured within the hammer piston. Formed on the hammer bar 5 are straight grooves 13 engaging a chuck nut 14 secured Within the chuck 8. Pressure fluid is supplied to the drill motor to effect reciprocation of the hammer piston through a 55 supply `connection 15 and a supply passage 16 under the control of a throttle valve 17, thevalve having an internal iluid supply chamber 1`8 communicable with the passage 16 through a port 19 in the valve.- Flow of pressure fluid through the passage 16 to the usual motor passages is con- 60 trolled by an automatic fluid distribution -valve 20, herein of the reciprocable fsl'ee've type, arranged within the rear head block 21 of 4the drill motor in coaxial relation with and encircling vthe rifle bar 11, as shown in Fig. 2. In the construction disclosed, the tappet 6 is provided with an axial passage 2.2, while the drill steel 7 is formed with an axial bore 23; and when the hammer piston is in its rearwardv position, as shown in Fig. 2, pressure fluid may now from the forward end of the motor cylinder through the straight grooves 13 on the hammer bar 5, past the chuck nut 14 and through the axial passage 22 in the tappet and the axial bore 23 in the drill ste'el to the drill bit to clear away th'e'cuttings kfrom Athe bottom of the drill hole. The rockdrill described above is of a usual design, and therefore further description of the detail structure thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Now referring to the improved iiuid cleansing means associated with the rock drill, and more particularly to the improved water ycontrol valve mechanism and supply passage arrangement shown in Fig. 4, it will be noted that secured at its rear end within a gland plug 25 threadedly connected within a rear head block 26 attached to the drill motor is a water conducting tube27, the riile bar being formed with an axial bore 28 and the hammer bar of the piston with an axial bore 29 through which the 'Water tube extends, as shown inFig. 2, the forward end of the tube terminating within the tap'pet 6. Water under pressure is supplied to the tube 27 through a supply connection 30 communicating with a passage 3 1. The passage 31 is connected through passages 32 and 33 with a passage 34 formed in the gland plug 25, the latter passage in turn being connected through an axial passage 35 with the water tube. The improved valve mechanism for controlling the flow of water under pressure through these 100 passages to the water tube comprises a ball valve 36`arranged within a longitudinal bore 37 formed in the head block 26 and provided with a usual valve seat 38. Slidably mounted within the bore 37 is a plunger 39, while interposed between this l105 plunger and the ball valve is a coil spring 40. In the present construction the throttle Valve 17 has formed thereon a cam surface 41 with which a plunger 42 is held in engagement by the coil spring 40, the plunger 42 alined with and abut- `110 ting the adjacent end of the plunger 39, as shown. The plunger 42 is reciprocably mounted in a bore 43 formed in the rear head block 21. When the throttle valve is in the position shown in Fig. 4, pressure fluid may flow to the motor passages to effect reciprocation of the hammer piston through the supply connection 15, chamber 18 in the valve, port 19 and passage 16 under the control of the automatic distributing valve 20. When thel throttle valve is in this position, the plungers 42, 39 are in their rearmost position, thereby relieving the tension of the spring 40, the ow of water through the passages 31, 32 maintaining the ball valve 36 unseated to permit free flow through the passages 33, 34, to the water tube. The water flows through the tube 27 to the axial passage 22 in the tappet 6, the water mingling with the pressure fluid flowing through this passage from the frontf.v end ofthe cylinder and passing therewith through theaxial borer 23 in the drill steel to the bottom of the ydrill hole, the mingled water and pressure uid cleaning thercuttings from the bit and laying the dust created by the drill bit. When the throttle valve is turnedv in' a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4, the cam surface 41 forces the plungers 42, 39 inwardly,thereby increasing the `tension of the spring to hold rmly the ball valve 36 on its seat 38, and as a result the ow of water through the passages 32, 33 to the water tube is cut off. Upon further movement of the throttle valve, communication from the valve chamber 18 to the supply passage 16 is cut off by closing the port 19, thereby cutting off the supply of pressure fluid to` the drill motor.

vskilled in the art. i While have in this application specifically By the provision of the two end abutting plungers 42, 39, it is possible to maintain the plungers in operative engagement without perfect alinement of the bores 43, 37 due to improper assembly and vibration between the motor parts 21 and 26, it having been found that if a single long plunger was used, it frequently became bent and consequently jamming occurred, rendering the device inoperative. y t

. As a result of this invention, it willv be noted that an improved fluid cleansing means is profvided for a rock drill whereby the supply of water underpressure to the drill steel is controlled in an improved manner. It will furtherv be noted that by associating the water control valve mechanism with the throttle valve, it is possible to con- `trol the ilow of pressure fluid to the drill motor and the supply of watervunder pressure to the cleansing tube by but a single operation and under thecontrol of a single valve control handle. Moreover, the supply ofmotive fluid to the drill motor and the flow of water under pressure to the cleansing means always take place in a definite sequence so that pressure fluid -is always Vsupplied to the drill motor prior to the opening of the water control valve, and as a result flooding Iof the drill is prevented. These and other uses and advantages of the improved rock drillcleansing means will be clearly apparent to those described one form which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A control mechanism for a rock drill cleansing means comprising a plurality of separate drill parts held in assembled relation, two of said parts having bores and an intermediate part having a larger opening with which said bores communicate, plungers in said bores and projecting into end-abutting engagement within said intermediate opening, said parts being so formed that when said bores are out of perfect alinement the' abutting relationship between the plungers is maintained, a cleansing fluid supply controlling valve operated by said plungers, and means mounted in one of said parts for actuating said plungers.

2. A control mechanism for a rockdrill cleansing means comprising a plurality of separate drill parts held in assembled relation, two of said parts having bores and an intermediate part having a larger opening with which said bores communicate, plungers in said bores and projecting into end-abutting engagement Within said intermediate opening, `said parts being so formed that when said bores are out of perfect alinement the abutting relationship between the plungers is maintained, a ball valve for controlling the cleansing fluid supply, a coiled spring interposed between the inner plunger and said ball valve, and means mounted in one of said parts for actuating said plungers.

3. A control mechanism for a rock drill cleansing means comprising a plurality of separate drill parts held in assembled relation, two of said parts having bores and an intermediate part having a larger opening with which said bores communicate, plungers'in said bores and projecting into end-abutting engagement within said intermediate opening, said parts being so formed that when said bores are out of perfect alinement the abutting relationship rbetween the plungers is maintained, `a cleansing fluid supply controlling valve operated by said plungers, and means including a rotatable cam mounted in one of said parts for actuating said plungers.

4. A control mechanism vfor a rock drill cleansing means comprising a plurality of separate drill parts held in assembled relation, two of said parts having bores and an intermediate part having a larger opening with which said bores communicate, plungers in said bores and projecting 'into end-abutting engagement within said intermediate opening, said part-s being so formed that when said bores are out of perfect alinement the abutting relationship between the plungers is maintained, a ball valve for controlling the cleansing fluid supply, a coiled spring interposed between the inner plunger and said ball valve, and means including a rotatable cam mounted in one of said parts for actuating said plungers. y

MERVIN CHESTER HUFFMAN. 

